May 8, 2014 Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 9, Issue 49 A publication of
arvadapress.com
Voting issue causes tension Jefferson County Board of Education member seeks outside legal counsel By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com Jeffco Board of Education Treasurer Jill Fellman, announced she will be seeking outside legal counsel from David Foster, of the Foster and Grahm law firm, after receiving what she believes is a legally threatening email.
The email was sent by the board’s attorney Brad A. Miller to Fellman, the other board members, Chief Operating Officer Steve Bell, Chief Financial Officer Lorie Gillis, and a representative from Caplan and Earnest, at noon on April 24. According to Fellman, it stated that if she did not listen to Miller’s advice regarding executive sessions, she would be personally liable. “His basic message was, if you don’t listen to me and take my advice you could be individually liable,” Fellman said. The email came after a 2-3 vote not go into an executive session in regards to an update about the impending mediation with the Jefferson County Educators Asso-
ciation (JCEA) following the declaration of the impasse. To move into an executive session, the board must have four out of the five members voting in favor of the motion. “We have counsel so we can get good advice,” Board President Ken Witt said. “It’s critical that all board members share their responsibility to the district so we can properly direct the district in regards to negotiations with associations.” According to Miller, the email was informative, reminding the board of its responsibilities to the community. “It’s incumbent on me to make sure the board is aware of its legal obligations and
that the board is aware of its fiduciary duties,” Miller said. In the past two board meetings where an executive session about JCEA mediation was on the agenda, Fellman and Second Vice President Lesley Dahlkemper voted against it, stating an update of information where no direction is given should be open to the public. “I share Ms. Fellman’s concerns,” Dahlkemper said. ” We have to be judicious about when we go into executive session and have a strong rationale to go into Voting continues on Page 19
Traffic cameras not going away Measure hits brick wall upon reaching House By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com After a bill cruised through the Senate, the House last week put the brakes on the measure, which sought to ban red-light cameras and photo radar systems in Colorado. The legislation officially met its demise during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on April 30, but the bill’s sponsor, House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, DDenver, had pretty much accepted its Report defeat before it even got there. Senate Bill 14 would have prohibited local governments from using photo-radar technology to capture drivers who speed or run red lights. It was gutted by the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, which passed a stripped-down version of the bill on April 28. The gutted version only would have allowed for a state study of the technology’s public-safety effectiveness, something that Ferrandino didn’t think was necessary. “I think we have enough studies to show that it’s not effective,” Ferrandino told the Appropriations Committee. Ferrandino and other bill supporters argued that photo-radar technology is a cash cow used by local governments to rack up revenue, courtesy of lead-foot drivers. The House speaker also said the technology does little to prevent accidents. “They give a sense of public safety, but don’t actually increase public safety,” Ferrandino said. But several law-enforcement representatives testified otherwise during the committee process. Supporters of the technology asserted that the devices serve as a blessing for understaffed police agencies and that the presence of the cameras curbs
Capitol
As part of the Skal Farm exhibit, children were allowed to play with three goats. Here, Kristen DeWitt carefully hands Terrapin the goat to Sophia Wedlake to hold.
Team spiriT
To encourage sustainable living and conservation, the Arvada Festivals Commission in conjunction with the Sustain Arvada Committee hosted the second annual Sustain Arvada Festival. During the festival, more than 1,000 people stopped by to learn about a variety of conserving methods and reusable and energy-efficient products all while playing with farm animals, riding bikes around Wolff Park and learning about ways to save the environment.
PhoTos by CrysTal anderson
Cameras continues on Page 19
Farm animals were available as part of educational exhibits, including this newly hatched chick.
Felicia Kruger shows her daughter, Miliana, how to build a plant holder during the Sustain Arvada Festival. Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.